Broken Home
by Prophe-Cass
Summary: Keith and Pidge have been waiting a long time. A movement and three quintents, four Vargas, sixty-two doboshes, and thirty-three ticks to be precise. And now, NOW, finally, Shiro is awakening from his inevitable sleep. But everything isn't so merry for the Paladins, for it appears that Pidge hates Shiro for reasons unknown. AU
1. King

**Author's Note;**

 **Updates will be slow. REALLY slow.**

 **King is by Lauren Aquilina.**

* * *

Keith closed his eyes, letting the wind ruffle his long locks. He inhaled, a slight smirk spreading across his face. Peace.

In…and out. Patience yields focus. Keith repeated this to himself, crossing his legs and spreading out his arms, giving him the impression that he looked like Jesus on the cross. Keith let himself fall backwards, the soft grass cushioning his fall as he let the warmth of the double Suns beat down upon his face.

"There you are!" A cheerful voice broke his concentration, and Keith rolled into his side, frowning slightly at the imposter.

The intruder was a young girl, her blond locks billowing in the breeze as she waved at him, one hand cupped to her cheek bone as she smiled. "Keith! Good news!" Romelle, as was her name, called to him enthusiastically.

Keith sighed, standing slowly as he used his fingers to comb through his hair, brushing out any leaves and bugs that may have gotten inside his black curls. "What is it?" Keith snapped, instantly regretting it as Romelle's face fell. He admitted silently to himself that he sounded a bit more harshly then he intended, but, honestly, he had good reason to be cross. Romelle thought everything was good news. She had lived an awful life, after all. Anything good seemed like bliss to her.

"What's the news?" Keith asked, trying to sound more cheerful but mostly failing. He was bad at hiding his feelings.

"Oh! Uh…" Romelle hesitated, cocking her head as if trying to remember. "Ah!" She slapped her palm against her temple, grinning warmly again. "Krolia and Coran say that Shiro will be waking up soon! They're trying to round everyone up so we can all be there!"

Keith felt his chest squeeze, his heart doubling its normal speed in a instant. "That _is_ great news! Thank you, Romelle! I'll join you in a moment."

"Okay!" Romelle nodded, her golden hair falling around her shoulders elegantly as the breeze slowed. "See you later!"

As she left, Keith turned his head towards the forest, breathing in the fresh air. The most recent planet the had landed on, Volsroy, was very similar to Earth. It was covered with lush, green plants and dense forests, bodies of water varying from oceans to creeks scattered throughout the celestial body.

Keith placed two fingers to his mouth, and whistled five, short blasts.

A moment later a large body of glowing blue quintessence appeared, forming the shape of a large wolf. Instantly it was set in motion, collapsing with Keith's face as the two rolled to the ground.

Keith spat out the wad of hair currently in his mouth, and laughed. "Missed playing with me, huh?" He asked his wolf as the alien licked his face energetically. "Ack! Boys don't kiss boys." He spluttered, shoving the dog from his body. Keith pulled himself to his feet, using the wolf's back as a brace. "Com'n, Yorak. Shiro's waking up."

The former leader of the Paladins of Voltron, Shiro, had been asleep for over a movement, one week, after being resurrected. And now…

Keith bit the inside of his lip as worry and nervousness tugged at his stomach, turning so he could see the Lions in the distance, about a quarter of a mile away. What if, by the time he got back there, Shiro was already awake?

With this thought in mind, Keith's jetpack sprung to life, propelling him several meters forward as he broke into a jog. The gravity was strong enough on this planet that his jetpack couldn't propel him into the air, but weak enough that it could still act as a boost.

Keith ran faster then usual, passing Romelle, and arrived at the campsite in almost three minutes. He panted for a moment, deactivating his jetpack as he whipped sweat from his face. Yorak, still hyperactive, appeared in midair above Keith, landing on his head with a heavy THUMP.

"Ow." Keith grunted, having to shove Yorak off him once again. Rubbing his neck, which had been twisted strangely from the sudden weight of Yorak, the dog was about fifty pounds, deadpanned, "That's gonna leave a mark. Thanks for nothing, you useless mammal." Yorak looked at him lovingly, the teasing obviously lost on him. At this, Keith had to laugh, scratching him. "Okay, yeah, fine. You're the best, buddy."

Romelle walked up to them at that moment, running her fingers through her gorgeous locks, smiling at Keith and his dog. "You're _so_ cute together, Keith." She sighed merrily, looking from his dog to the Black/Red Paladin and back again. "I wish I had a pet."

"Maybe you can adopt one of the next monsters we fight." Keith sarcastically grunted, blinking at her.

"Nice try, fly boy." Romelle huffed, using her right pointer finger to tap his nose. "I'm not that gullible."

Keith had to admit that she looked dashing, with her inquisitive purple eyes and her turquoise markings, but Keith wasn't looking for a girl yet. Instead of admitting she was pretty, Keith smiled at her weakly. "Never said you were."

Romelle nodded in amusement, walking into the Blue lion, where Shiro was resting.

Keith hesitated at the jaw of the lion, taking a deep breath. Patience yields focus. Shiro needed him.

Keith entered the lion a moment later.

On his way to the speeder's hanger, he caught up to everyone else in the hallway. Well, save Pidge.

"Where's Pidge?" Keith asked, crossing his arms as he took in the fact that he was the second to the last one in.

"She's with Shiro now." Krolia told him, cracking a smile.

"Figures." Keith sighed, rolling his eyes as he entered the speeder's hanger. Pidge hadn't drifted from her leader's side for more then a varga the entire time Shiro had been asleep, not even leaving the room for her own rest.

She glanced up when he came in, her head leaning against the back of the chair. "Yo." She greeted Keith, waving half-heartedly. "Welcome back."

"How is he?" Asked Keith, slipping into the seat besides the youngest member of the team.

"Coran said he's stabilized, and Krolia says that means he'll be waking up. She also told everyone that he'll probably want to see you, first, so I'm planning on leaving when he wakes up."

"You can stay, if you want."

"I don't want." Pidge admitted, a frown tugging at the corners of her mouth. "I just want to make sure he's fine."

"Okay." Keith crossed his arms, exhaling as he watched his sleeping leader. He noticed how Shiro's eyelids twitched every few moments, groaning slightly after several ticks.

"See you later, Keith." Pidge told Keith, ruffling the older man's mullet with a smirk.

Keith grumbled mildly, shooting her a half-hearted grin as he pushed her hand away. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever."

Almost as soon as the door whirred shut behind Pidge, Yorak appeared in her spot, blinking at Keith.

Keith scratched the dog between the ears, closing his eyes as he sighed, leaning his head back.

When he was younger, he hadn't understood family. He hadn't understood those children who had lived a pampered life, because, he had been raised by a poor man, and, when he died, had mostly either lived on the streets, or had been put in foster care with some awful people. It's better not to go into detail in things like this.

Keith blinked his eyes open, turning his gaze onto his older brother. Keith reached out his hand, resting it into Shiro's left one. Yorak also leaned forward, but instead sniffed the former Black Paladins' face curiously. Or at least, Keith thought it was with curiosity. Who knew with dogs?

Shiro stirred, turning his head sleepily towards the dog, who drew back in surprise. As soon as the Paladin settled again, the dog resumed sniffing.

Keith sighed, dipping his head. If he was being perfectly honest, he hadn't got much sleep, either. He couldn't blame Pidge for being so worried, or anyone else for that matter. There had been several instances where Shiro's new body, Kuron's old one, had faltered in health, his breathing stopping for a few minutes. It had always resumed on its own, but it had been a jump scare all three times it happened.

Keith felt a jerk underneath his palm, raising his head. He half-feared the worst, but his heartbeat soothed when he saw his leader's wide brown eyes, staring in obvious confusion sat Yorak.

The dog, oblivious to Shiro's shock, began giddily licking his face. Shiro spluttered, unconscious of the weight on his left hand as he pulled it away from Keith's grasp to push back the dog.

Keith, not exactly ashamed by his wolf's actions, laughed. "Stop, Yorak." He told his dog, who hesitated only a second before subsided his actions, sitting up and looking at his owner, tail wagging.

Shiro sat up in bed, still a little confused and wondering if he was hallucinating. Who was this…dog? Why was Keith there? Wasn't he still in the Astral Plane? What was going on?

"Hey." Keith smiled, leaning past his dog as he stuck out his hand. "How you doing?"

Suddenly everything came back like a wave. Everything. Insuring Keith that everyone was fine, explaining to Keith the Black Lion's nature. Allura summoning his spirit, the brief moment spent where their two spirit's fused, the feeling of…being _alive_.

Shiro blinked at Keith's hand, the limb still looking a bit blurry. Then, with some hesitation as he decided where his younger sibling's hand actual was, he reached out and clutched it. Needless to say, he accidentally clutched Keith's wrist, but, after a tick, the two managed to figure out what was wrong and fix it.

Shiro thought back to Keith's question and smiled a bit shyly. "I'm fine. How long have I been out?"

"A week and a half."

Shiro felt struck suddenly by a sense of awe. He hadn't even realized a human, without medication or drugs, could be asleep for so long, even if they were on death's doorstep.

"It's good to see you again." Shiro chose his words carefully, letting Keith help him to his feet. "How's everyone else?"

"Fine. If you're up to it, we could go see them." Keith nodded his head toward the door.

"That's be great. Who's the space wolf?" Shiro questioned, wondering if Keith was tiring of all his inquiries.

"That? That's my dog, Yorak. Now, we're not sure if you have Kuron's memories, because we basically added your mind to his mind, but, depending whether you do or don't, there's going to be some new faces. Like my dog. And two aliens. So…yeah. Be warned."

"Okay. Thanks." Shiro let Keith position himself to where the younger Paladin was stationed underneath is arm. He found that Keith was…taller. Maybe by half a foot. His mullet was longer, too, by several inches. Shiro inhaled deeply, and Keith opened the door.

There was… _everyone_ on the other side of the door. And Keith was right. There were two female aliens he didn't recognize. One had a very familiar mullet, and the other looked suspiciously like a Altean and had donned a blue, white, and pink dress.

Shiro blinked in slight confusion, realizing that he remembered them very, very dully in the back of his mind.

Hunk didn't wait for Keith or Shiro to talk, instead squishing the latter into a bear hug. "Shiro! You're awake!" He cheered, setting him down after a moment.

"Are you hungry?" Allura asked, tilting her head at him curiously.

"It's so good to see you up and at 'Em." Lance cheered, pumping one of his fists.

"You look as fit as a Yalmor!" Coran piped, playing with his mustache hairs.

"Shiro, this is Romelle, she's an Altean." Keith gestured to the colorfully dressed woman, and Shiro nodded to her. Romelle smiled back a bit shyly, waving nervously. "And this is Krolia. She's a fellow Blade, and my mother."

Shiro paused, blinking at the older woman in surprise. Honestly, he shouldn't be shocked. They looked very similar, to be honest, and Keith's scar only helped with the illusion.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Krolia greeted him, nodding curtly. "Again."

Shiro wasn't entirely sure what she meant by that, but it probably had something to do with the clone.

"It's…its good to meet you too." Shiro told her, still mildly confused. He promptly turned to the Paladins, who seemed very worried as they hovered nearby. "It's good to see you all." He told them, smiling slightly. "But…where's the castle? Why're we in the Blue Lion?"

Everyone exchanged a look, sadness pulling over their features. "We…we had to use it to save all of the realities in existence." Coran told him, blinking in sorrow.

"Oh."

"But…it's not all bad! We're going back to Earth to make a new one, and the Castle…" Hunk broke off mid sentence, rummaging through his belt pockets. He finally pulled out a diamond, displaying it with an even amount of defeat and victory. "…it all got compacted into this little diamond. So, it's still here! Kind of." Hunk handed Shiro the crystal, and the leader held it carefully.

It was about as big as his palm, all sorts of rough, jagged pieces penetrating from every end. It was…sad.

Shiro handed it back, rather numbly, to Hunk, blinking as he tried to process the information. He lightly recalled the Black Lion whispering something of the sort to him, but, it hadn't been the top priority on his list at the time, so he hadn't said goodbye. Seemed awfully pathetic, being so attached to the ship, but it was like a thirteen year old saying goodbye to their house that they had dwelt in for nearly nine years.

There was a moment of mourning as everyone silently agreed not to speak. The grief hung thickly in the room, practically dripping off the ceiling.

"Why Earth?" Asked Shiro once a few minutes had passed. "Why not Olkarion?"

"Commander Holt has the plans necessary to build a new Castle." Keith told him. "And he's on Earth."

Shiro decided not to ask about the 'Commander Holt' thing until later.

"Besides, it'll kinda be like a vacation from all the universe defending stuff." Lance grinned, stretching.

"We can answer any more questions you may have over a bowl of food." Allura told him, wincing slightly in sympathy. "My apologies, but until further notice we only have food goo."

"You look as skinny as a sick Xznly Squiwl." Coran added, obviously still finding his mustache entertaining.

"Um…thanks…?" Shiro had no idea what that meant.

Coran looked at him oddly, quirking one eyebrow curiously. Wrong answer.

"Let's go, then." Keith let his grip on Shiro loosen, feeling his leader strengthen the longer he was awake.

Keith, when they were halfway to the Yellow Lion, released Shiro fully, feeling a fleeting moment of pride when he noticed that Shiro didn't even falter.

"I'm going to go check on something." Keith told them, splitting from the group when Krolia gave him a simple wave of her hand.

Keith headed for the Green Lion, curiosity burning in his stomach. Since Pidge had departed from Shiro's side earlier, he hadn't seen the youngest Paladin. Was she alright?


	2. Paper Crown

**Author's Note;**

 **Hi, everyone. I finally have a plot in mind for Broken Home, which I hope I can complete before August 10th, which is when Season 7 airs. Unfortunately, I won't be able to complete it before July 20th, which, in case you didn't know, is when Episode 1 is airing in San Deigo Comic Con. So; anyone who is going, sorry, this won't match up with it.** **(Unless if you do go and PM me with all the spoilers! I love that stuff.) Only THEN will it match up.**

 **Paper Crown is by Alec Benjamin.**

 **Now, without further ado, Chapter 2!**

* * *

Chapter 2.

Keith entered the Green Lion's cockpit, surprised from the lack of lights compared to the rest of the lion. It was pitch back except for the occasional glowing blue equipment on the floor.

As he did his best to avoid stepping on and breaking the previously stated objects, since there was plenty that were left in the dark, and realized with much destain he probably should have left the door open instead of letting go close by itself.

"Keith?" Pidge's head pocked out from the back of the pilot's chair, the light reflected off her glasses into Keith's eyes for a split second as she readjusted them.

"Howdy." Keith greeted her, relief washing over him as he spotted her. "You disappeared right before Shiro woke up." He was now standing next to the pilot chair, leaning cross-armed against it. "Are you okay?"

"Usually you don't ask how we are." Pidge grinned, punching his arm playfully. "Who are you and what have you done with the real Keith?"

"Too soon, Pidge." Keith grunted, although he smiled and ruffled her hair.

Pidge let out a yelp of protest, smoothing down her locks once more. "Guess I deserved that." She grumbled, shaking out her golden curls.

"Seriously, why did you leave?" Keith asked, finally turning serious.

"I was tired and hoped to get some rest." Pidge snapped, transforming from a playful fifteen year old into a grumpy teenager.

Keith wondered if he used to be like that. No…he was pretty sure he was always grumpy. Well, except for the few times Lance said something that made him smile, or when Hunk made some good that lifted his spirits, or when Pidge began to ramble about tech like she used to…she was usually nowadays cut off abruptly by Kuron when she began to talk like a chipmunk, because…apparently she got on his nerves. Or when Allura unleashed a new team building challenge and all the others groaned…Keith had always liked pushing himself past his limits. He especially laughed if Coran ever made a joke about the lack of mustaches on everyone's faces.

Ugh! Back to Pidge. He reminded himself sharply, and faced her once more. She did have a blanket wrapped around her, but Keith knew that there was more then her simply being sleepy. "We both know there's more then that. Even if you WERE tired, you wouldn't have left his side. You woulda fallen asleep while you were waiting."

"Hmph." Pidge grumbled, still not looking at him.

"So?"

"So?! I don't know how to act in front of him anymore, Keith! Kuron was always shutting me down, he hated spending time with me…Keith, that body has _two_ minds in it now! What if…" Pidge fell silent, sinking lower into the chair as she hugged herself. "…what if they battled, while he was sleeping. What if Kuron won? What if this is all a big show?" Her voice had lulled to a whisper, Keith had to lean close to hear her. "What if that's not him?"

"But it is!" Keith promised her, pulling away as her grabbed her chin gently, turning her face towards him. He gazed into her brown eyes, blinking softly as he realized that her eyes were more beautiful then he remembered. "This time it really is, I know it is."

"That's what we thought last time!" Pidge threw her arms up, the movement surprising Keith so that he stopped holding her. "We figured he was traumatized or something! That's why he was different!"

"Well, that's not the case now!" Keith assured her, getting impatient but refusing to admit it. "Now…now it's actually _him_."

"I hesitated." Pidge admitted, sinking further into her chair as she closed her eyes tightly.

"Huh?" Keith asked, suddenly confused. She…what?!

"I hesitated." Pidge repeated. "When…when Kuron was escaping in the pod with Lotor I…I had a clear shot, I had enough time to make the shot…but I didn't. To think I could have stopped Lotor from being corrupted, the castle from being destroyed, from Kuron trying to kill you…I could have stopped all of that, if I had just listened to my head…"

"Stop." Keith interrupted, startling Pidge as he rested his hand on her shoulder. "It wasn't your fault. Shiro was our friend. He still is our friend. We just need to give him a chance. And, besides, if you had taken that shot, we never would have found out that Shiro was dead, and we wouldn't have known what to do."

"It would have stopped so many bad things from happening, though!" Pidge protested. "It honestly would've been better if I just had launched the stupid thing." She spat, punching the chair's arm rest.

"Well, it's not all bad-" Keith tried again, failing to keep his temper concealed.

"Most of it is bad, though." Pidge murmured, blinking up at him.

They relaxed into the quietness pressing into the room, enveloping them. The only sound was the quiet hum of electronics and the Green Lion's engine.

"You know what?" Pidge asked, breaking the bliss of nothingness that had passed between them. "I can't understand you."

"I don't know where that came from." Keith grunted, admitting to himself that he actual didn't understand his own personality either.

"I'm barely sixteen, and you're almost twenty-one! I don't understand why you would want to hang out with me! We share completely different views on the same subject, for crying out loud." Pidge shook her head, sighing. "I've never been able to comprehend people outside of my family, but I can at least kinda tell what makes the others tick, but you…" Pidge trailed off, studying him for a long moment. "You shouldn't even exist. You should be deformed or have mental problems…I dunno. You shouldn't be…you."

"That kinda stings." Keith told her, holding back a laugh. It did hurt, but in a funny way. It was hard to explain.

"We're both different from the others." Pidge realized. "I know for a fact that none of you, not even Hunk, really understand me. And Matt and I aren't really close anymore, and you're a hybrid. Is it weird knowing you're a half-blood?"

"Yeah." Keith let out a dry laugh. "When we were in the Time Wolf, time overlapped. I was able to see bit and pieces in Krolia's life, her past, and a scene or two from her future. But, in the past settings, I saw some…things that I regret seeing. And I know she saw plenty of awful things in my life, too, it's kinda hard to explain, but Mom never wanted to have me. So it's weird knowing I was unwanted, but that she loves me, anyway…"

"I can kinda see why she doesn't want you." Pidge grinned, winking as her face cleared up from the sadness that had overshadowed her face the entire time they had been talking.

"That's a line I would expect from Lance." Keith chuckled, patting her hand. "So now I ship you two."

"Dude." Pidge snorted, leaning away from him. "Ship Allura and Lance. They constantly give each other the 'I want you' eyes."

Keith snorted, turning his back on her as he headed for the door. It was best to leave Pidge in a good mood then a bad mood.

Before he reached the doorway, however, he turned back around. "Oh, Pidge, it's lunch time, by the way."

"I'll catch something later." Pidge told him drowsily. "I still have a nap to catch."

"Okay. See you later, half-pint."

"I said not to call me-!"

Keith closed the door, cutting her off. He laughed to himself, feeling a surge of amusement sounding from the Green Lion. As the leader, Keith had the ability to be able to speak to the lions, although their bond was almost inexistent. He was able to communicate with the Red Lion best, because their former friendship wasn't completely terminated.

Keith smiled slightly, giving the Green Lion's interior a little pat. After all, they may not appear to be sentient from first glance, but it was also good to treat them with respect. But, of course, it was well known among the Paladins, they could think for themselves.

Keith smiled to himself as he listened to the lions chatter to each other in excitement. It was nice knowing that the lions loved each other, reflecting the Paladins' personalities.

Keith headed for the Yellow Lion, his footsteps rhythmic.

Almost as soon as he entered, Lance stood. "KEITH! YOU WERE HATCHED?!" The younger Paladin asked, or, rather, shouted, his eyes wide with amazement.

"Hmm?" Keith asked, momentarily confused.

One of his mother's hands was covering her mouth, stifling the laugh that threatened to explode from her voice box, her shoulder's shaking. Shiro's face was pressed against the table, as he rocked with convulsions of joy. The Alteans looked shocked, and Hunk just bore a confused expression. Yorak was the only one who looked unaffected by this change of development, his tail wagging as he sniffed Shiro's head.

"Krolia said you were hatched. From an _egg_." Lance told him, sitting down, his expression betraying his shock.

"Yes." Keith decided to say, keeping his normal blank face on. "I was hatched. Why's that so weird?"

"Humans don't hatch. We're mammals." Hunk told him, looking like Lance's twin.

"Oh," Keith nodded, before pausing as he hurriedly thought of an excuse to continue Krolia's joke. "Aren't platypuses mammals?"

"No! Well, yes." Lance admitted. "But they're like a duck and beaver hybrid."

"I'm a hybrid." Keith grunted sarcastically, arching an eyebrow. "So of course I was an egg."

Shiro had raised his head slightly, his eyes looking like they wanted to explode with laughter. "Y-yeah," he stammered, unable to keep his laughter controlled enough to speak stably. "K-Keith once w-was an e-egg."

"That explains a lot." Hunk nodded, still not understanding that this was all a joke, just like Lance.

Coran, in the background, was muttering something along the lines of how it was physically impossible for Galra to lay eggs, so Keith shouldn't have been a hatchling. Romelle, one the other hand, was slightly nodding as she considered it. If a beaver and a duck crossed, and they gave birth to a platypus, which hatched from an egg, why couldn't the same go for Keith? (What was a duck, a beaver, and what the quiznak was a platypus?) Allura had also understood, by this point, that this was a joke, so she kept silent as she watched Lance with interest.

"But ducks _lay_ eggs!" Lance protested, his blue eyes wide with wonder.

"And up until now, I thought humans did, too!" Keith responded, tossing his hand in the air.

"No, _no_! I think you misunderstand-!"

Krolia burst into laughter, as did Keith, who doubled over. Shiro was still chuckling, unable to keep his amusement secret anymore. How he had missed his team!

"Lance! You stupid idiot!" Keith chuckled, whipping a tear from his face. "Of course I didn't hatch!"

"What?! Krolia-?! What?!" Lance paled slightly, glancing at Hunk to find his best friend also looking confused.

"How can you joke with such a straight face?" Hunk asked, curious.

"I've taught myself how to be blank." Keith grunted. "So people can't read me." He slipped into his assigned seating at the head of the table while Lance sat back down, fuming.

Keith glanced around at his adopted, and in some cases literal, family and inwardly smiled. They were a little broken and bruised, but he hoped that, with time, it would heal.


	3. Brother

Brother

-Kodaline

Shiro dropped the large bundle of firewood he kept tucked underneath his left arm into a big bin, frowning. "Why is Pidge avoiding me?"

Keith started at the words, surprise wrapped around his face. "W-what?"

"I asked about Pidge." Shiro sighed, crossing his arms and leaning against a tree. "Why is she avoiding me?"

Keith put down the pile of firewood he carried into the spare box they had brought with them, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I'm not sure it's my place to tell you."

"Should I ask her instead?" Shiro asked, pushing off from the tree.

"No!" Keith instantly jumped a few steps forward, eyes stretched wide. When Shiro leaned against the tree again, Keith exhaled, his eyes downcast. "You drive a tough bargain. I've talked to her three times since you've awoken about this. And each time she's given me a different answer, but I've pieced together basically what she means to say each time."

"Would she be fine with me knowing?" Shiro inquired, wondering if he shouldn't have asked and cornered Keith like this.

"You'll have to know eventually." Keith responded with only a beat of hesitation.

Shiro realized he was avoiding the question, but he didn't press. He hadn't even seen Pidge since he woke up four days before. There had been me

ntion of her, though it was rare, like she was just some part of them that they couldn't bother with right now.

"Basically…" Keith closed his eyes, deep in thought. "Okay. You know how Kuron told me that everyone was dead, but then you told me they weren't?"

"Of course."

"Well…do you know how they got out of the situation? I, obviously, wasn't there so Lance had to tell me."

"I do not. The Lions told me that all was well, but they didn't tell me how."

"Basically…Pidge hasn't trusted you from the start. She's extremely paranoid, and she's unwilling to go against anyone."

"I knew about that, because of the Sphinx."

"Yeah. She basically made a virus that terminated all your arm's commands."

"So Pidge was prepared. She's always been a smart kid." Shiro pointed out. "Smarter then everyone I ever knew, except Commander Holt."

"Agreed." Keith nodded.

"Sorry, back to the conversation."

"Oh…uh…despite everything Shiro, she still cares for you." Keith patted his shoulder. "But she's scared. She's scared of Kuron, and she's preparing herself."

"I feel like I should talk to her about this." Shiro admitted.

"I'm not sure if- did you hear that?" Keith froze, tilting his head to the side.

"No. Hear what?"

Keith waited a few seconds then hissed, "That!" He crouched down slowly, taking a few steps backward as he reached cautiously for his knife.

"What?" Shiro asked, still very baffled.

"Shhhh!" Keith gestured for him to get down, activating his Bayard.

Shiro dropped down to his younger brother, and the two froze, listening. A few ticks later, a snapping sound reached Shiro's ears. It sounded…big. And it was coming right for them.

Keith threw his Bayard into the trees, toward the sound.

A tick later a loud screech echoed through the woods and a large blue-ish grey crab-like creature sprang from the trees, the Bayard imbedded deep in its shell, a sticky, white liquid pouring from the wound.

"Ew!" Keith stuck out his tongue, distast covering his features. "That's disgusting!"

The monster pulled the Bayard from its wound, and it sealed perfectly, no signs that it ever had been touched in that spot.

"I would normally say that 'meat's back on the menu', but after seeing that…" Keith clutched Shiro's arm, staring at the monster. "Run."

Both men took off running, sparing looks over their shoulders. Shiro reached out and managed to summon the floating supply crate. It sped after them trying to catch them.

The monster tossed the Bayard over its shoulder, charging after them as it let out a bellow.

Keith and Shiro dropped behind a tree, panting as the monster passed them.

"Listen." Keith gasped, sitting up. "I should have known bringing you with me would be too dangerous. Kramkon is climbing with monsters day and night, and you only just woke up a few days ago. Besides, you're pretty much defenseless."

"It's fine, Keith." Shiro smiled, shrugging. "You didn't know that we'd be attacked by a monster that could magically heal."

"Yeah, but I knew there were monsters that could hurt us. The only hope we have is if I suddenly glitch."

"What? That sounds like something from a video game or TV show."

"That's because it IS an ability from a TV show. Or at least an ability a character would have in one. When Mom and I were trapped in that time wolf, we were attacked by creatures that could phase at will. They could do that because of weird time anomalies, so basically they could control time and where they were in that time. Mom and I discovered a few months ago that we had been affected by the weird time enough that we could glitch. It happens randomly, but we can kind of sense when it's about to happen. I haven't been able to glitch in a full month, so I'm guessing that it'll happen any day now."

"Now that I think about it, you really shouldn't have told me about the glitching." Shiro murmured, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Not when a big crab is chasing us."

"If I can glitch inside the monster, I can take it down from the inside. If there's nothing to tell it to heal, it can't heal. And besides, if I don't thrash around too much we may be able to get meat from it."

"You're getting disgusting, Keith. By the time you're done, you'll be covered in blood."

"We have no other option. Except lure it back to camp and put everyone in danger as we hope the lions can break the shell."

"Good point."

"Why did God make such fascinating creatures?" Keith grumbled, though his face held some mirth.

Shiro shrugged helplessly. "I wish I knew. It was probably just in his plan."

"Yeah. Probably." Keith glanced around the tree, spotting the crab making its way back towards them. "I actually feel like I could glitch. It's either that or I need to barf."

Shiro gave him a disturbed expression and Keith smiled.

"I can't control what the symptoms are to glitching!"

"For the record, I am not on board with this plan." Shiro frowned.

"Obviously, you're like a safety coordinator, and this is against everything safety based." Keith snorted.

The monster raised its head into the air, a loud sniffing noise emerging.

"I should glitch at anytime, now." Keith hummed, mostly to himself. "Just come a little closer…"

Shiro frowned, unsure how to act about this.

Keith remained still, reminding Shiro of a wolf or cat creeping silently down upon their prey.

Keith's lips hardly moved as he let out a shrill whistle, drawing the attention of the monster and also of Yorak, who appeared before them in ticks.

"Yorak." Keith smiled, then turned to Shiro. "Can you create a distraction? It only has to be enough to draw Crab-ster's attention."

"'Crab-ster…?"

"Don't question it!"

"Okay." Shiro peaked around the tree, finding the Crab-ster nearing them, it's long claws making next to no sound on the forest ground. "Ah, Quiznak."

"I don't care what you do. Run towards camp, for all I care."

Shiro nodded in agreement, rising to his full height as he took off running, swerving around a tree. If he had his prosthetic, he probably would have tried to get underneath the Crab-ster to attack it from below, but, as it was, all he could do was run and hope Keith could actually glitch.

Keith, in the meantime, began to feel very, very sick as he watched Shiro run, drawing the monster's attention.

"Okay, Yorak." Keith told his puppy, climbing onto his back as he narrowed his eyes. "There." He pointed to a spot above the monster, and Yorak teleported.

There was a flash of white and suddenly Keith and Yorak were suspended in midair, dropping down onto the crab's back.

Yorak let out a sharp bark as he rolled off the smooth surface, and Keith plunged his Blade of Marmora knife into the crab's back, praying to God that he would glitch. Three ticks later, Keith felt himself phase into the crab, surrounded by blood and guts. A moment later, he glitch stopped and he was trapped in a tangle of veins and intestines. Keith summoned the Black Bayard, using it to slice through the veins wrapped around one leg. Using his leg to push away some arteries, Keith began to hack his way through the monster.

Outside, Shiro realized that the monster wasn't following him anymore. Rather, it was stumbling back and forth, letting out a bellow of pain as it staggered, it's beady, black eyes blinking out of rhythm with each other.

Shiro carefully took a step forward, unsure how to proceed. Yorak was nipping at the Crab-ster's heels, growling and letting how sharp yelps when he failed to grab the beast's thighs.

The Crab-ster finally fell over, one leg still violently twitching. Yorak tried his best to leap at it, but unfortunately it was several meters in the air so he could juuust manage to graze it before he fell down once more. A couple times he collapsed onto his side but was up again before militicks had passed.

Shiro walked forward, the disgustingness of what he had just witnessed playing in his mind.

The Black Bayard appeared, cutting a jagged trapazoid through the thick skin. Shiro, still in a grossed-out haze, pulled open the underbelly of the Crab-ster to help Keith. He offered the younger man his hand, and Keith took it gratefully. Keith was completely covered in the white liquid that Shiro guessed was the crab's blood, and the older man wrinkled his nose.

"What are the chances that it tastes like coconut water?" Keith joked, sniffing at the liquid curiously.

"That is wrong on so many levels."

"Re-lax. I was joking." Keith smiled, flicking his wrist in such a way that the blood on his fingers landed on Shiro's suit.

"Gross." Shiro stuck out his tounge, whipping away the blood from his armor.

Yorak blinked at them, and when Keith held down his hands, readily licked them clean.

"Gross! Keith, the Bible is strictly against the digestion of blood."

"No rules about dogs drinking blood, right?" Keith shrugged. "If there is, I'll go into a coma a due to shock. Just like the old times." He joked.

Shiro punching Keith lightly in the arm, smirking. Sometimes, his younger brother got on his nerves big time, but mostly they just teased each other. Just like they were doing now. "Yeah, just like the old times.

"Yeah…hurt then, too." Keith chuckled, rolling his shoulder. "Man, I missed you, Shiro. The real you."

* * *

A varga later, Romelle wandered into the Red Lion's jaw, and onto the ramp. She glanced down at Pidge, the petite woman sitting with her knees drawn to her chest.

"They're still not back yet?" Romelle inquired, leaning against one of the Lion's teeth in a very ladylike manner.

"No." Pidge's answer was hoarse, like she had been crying. "They haven't come back yet."

"I'm positive they'll be back soon." Romelle told her, smiling. "Let's get you to bed."

Pidge didn't move, staring into the dark. "What if they aren't going to come back soon? What if Keith's in trouble? What if Shiro's in trouble? He could be hurt, and alone…" Pidge shook her head, activating her Bayard. "If anything hurts him, I'll rip it limb from limb."

"You're…quite gruesome, Pidge."

Romelle frowned, resting her hand atop Pidge's skull. "I'm sure they're fine. Maybe they found some food, and are coming back with it and the firewood."

"What if something bad happened? I need to go check it out." Pidge began to rise, but Romelle beat her to it, raising an elegant finger to point.

"Look! They're back!" She cheered, looking down at Pidge.

Sure enough, Shiro, Keith, and Yorak came trudging through the woods, a large supply box off to one side. Behind them, they drug a huge crab-monster-thing.

Pidge fully rose to her feet, but didn't head to them. Instead, she disappeared into the Green Lion.

Romelle blinked in frustration after her, but she turned and headed towards the others.

"Where were you?!" She seethed once they were within ear-shot. "We've all been worried sick!"

"We got caught up with a monster. Turns out we ran in the opposite direction that camp was in, and it would have taken us even longer to harvest the meat and come back, so we voted to drag it back." Keith told her, exhaustion tinting his features.

"We also got firewood!" Shiro perked up, pointing at the bin beside them.

"You could have radioed ahead and called for help! Or said you would be late getting back! Pidge was about to come looking for you when you returned!"

"Radioing didn't occur to us-"

"It did." Shiro interrupted, rolling his eyes. It was evident that he meant it as a joke, however. "It occurred to me. But you said, quote-unquote 'It'll ruin the surprise!'"

"Yeah, yeah. Well, we got meat!" Keith shrugged, giving the monster's leg a tug.

At this point Romelle was close enough that she could throw her arms around his neck, and that's just what she did, sighing. "Just don't do that ever, ever again!"

Keith folded his arms around her and glanced at Shiro, who, fortunately, wasn't looking at them. "I won't be back so late again if I can help it, Romelle. I promise."

"Okay." Romelle whispered, then suddenly pulled back, staring at her garments in shock. "What is this liquid?! You're covered in it!"

Shiro smiled wistfully as he listened to them argue. He took a few steps closer to camp, squinting his eyes at the Green Lion. He swore he could see Pidge watching them, though she didn't move so he couldn't be completely sure.


	4. Lucky

Lucky

-Jeremy Shada and Chloe Peterson

Allura sighed, rolling onto her side. She watched Krolia making her body fit in a tiny square as she scooted her legs as far up the wall as they would go, leaving just her arms, body, and head on the ground.

"Is that comfortable?" Allura asked the significantly younger woman for the third night in a row. Technically Allura was ten thousand years old, as Krolia was just forty-seven.

Krolia sighed, as she did every night, and glanced at the princess. "Extremely. Like I said yesterday and the day before that, you should try it."

"Hmm…it just seems, very uncomfortable."

"It helps train oneself to fit into a smaller space." Krolia responded evenly, staring at the ceiling. "Pidge understands."

"Of course she does." Allura snorted. Out of all the females, Pidge was the most unladylike out there. She even beat Krolia in that manner, for Krolia kept things in neat order and made her movements somewhat graceful while Pidge did not.

"Maybe because Pidge is actually smart." Krolia joked, closing her eyes. The glow from her eyes that had illuminated the room to this moment disappeared.

Allura giggled, turning her body to face the door. A frown tugged at her features, and she sighed. Romelle and Pidge both promised that they would come back on to get some sleep as soon as they knew whether or not Keith and Shiro were okay, and Pidge had sworn not to leave the bedroom until the morning.

Allura heard footsteps and she raised her head, propping herself up on her arm.

She could hear Romelle chattering away and could hear Keith's amused responses. She opened the door and smiled at their nearing forms, noticing Shiro hanging back from them.

"You're okay!" She greeted them, waving.

"We're fine, Princess," Shiro smiled, giving a small wave back.

"They brought back MEAT!" Romelle cheered, glancing at the two tardy boys. "They put it in the Yellow Lion so they can butcher it early tomorrow."

"That doesn't change the fact that they were late and that they nearly gave us a hearts attack!" Allura hissed, mild irritation clouding her eyes."

"It's a 'heart attack', Princess." Keith quietly corrected, bowing his head as he prepared for her to lavish scolding words upon him.

"Gaaah! It's too late for me to properly scold you two! Head off to your beds, and I'll deal with you in the morning." Allura pointed to the door down the hall, grinding her teeth together. "This is not over!"

Needless to say, she forgot to bring it up again.

Five doboshes after they left, Pidge trudged in, curling into herself in the far corner of the room.

"Guys?" The youngest Paladin asked, sitting up.

"Yeah?"

"What's up?"

"Hmm?"

"Be…be careful around Shiro, okay? I don't know if we should trust him." Pidge swerved her eyes towards the general direction of the boys' room.

"Pidge…" Allura began after a few doboshes, her eyes clouding. "What's wrong with him?"

"He's no Lotor, that much is obvious." Romelle pointed out. "So what's not to like?"

"You're being cautious. Can't say I blame you." Krolia shrugged, and was asleep within moments.

"It's not that there's something wrong with him, per-say," Pidge frowned, thinking. "I'm just worried. He and Kuron are basically the same person, now. What if he tries to hurt us again?"

"Your fears are natural. I'm sure everything will be fine again, soon." Romelle assured her, adjusting the sack of clothes beneath her head that served as a pillow.

Allura remained silent as Pidge fumed, furious that the older women had just brushed off her fears. Allura did nothing to sooth her, instead simply closing her eyes. About ten doboshes later, when she still couldn't fall asleep, she glanced around the room. Krolia was still asleep, although her ears were pricked, Romelle was snoring lightly, and Pidge was leaning against the wall, her glasses crooked across her face. Allura supposed they were all sleeping, and she decided to take a walk to clear her head. Her footsteps led her to the Blue Lion, a normal spot for her to go to think without being interrupted. The lab. Somewhere that she had created to get away from the world and the threat of Haggar and Kuron that was still lurking. Also, on the bright side, she finally understood how Pidge could get so easily lost in her work.

Allura opened the door, a dark shape that stood against the wall immediately catching her eye. Straining her eyes, she made out Lance's tried face, his eyelids pressed against his face, and his mouth tugged into a frown.

"Lance?" Allura asked, walking over to him. "Are you okay? I thought I was the only person who knew about this place."

Lance jumped as she began speaking, waiting patiently until she was done to cautiously answer her questions. "Oh, hi, Allura! You scared me." He grinned, blinking. "Yeah, just a bit tired. You were, but I stumbled upon it by chance just now. It's amazing how many secret corridors the lions have."

"It is." Allura nodded in agreement, inclining with her head towards a door, and, upon opening, revealed a balcony that opened up above the tail. She sat down and looked up at the stars that freckled the sky, patting the ground beside her. Lance hesitantly took the seat offered him, clenching and unclenching his hands.

"So." Lance was the one to break the silence, his blue eyes sparking with the light of the stars as he gazed into Allura's. "What is that room?"

The room behind them was littered with Altean note pads, bottles with sticky and bubbly substances in them, and all sorts of scientific equipment.

"Oh, that?" Allura blinked, her chocolate skin paling as she glanced back. "That is…No judging, Lance?"

"I promise." Lance swore, curling one hand into a fist and swiping it from shoulder to shoulder, then moving it to draw an imaginary line from his nose to his stomach.

Allura quirked an eyebrow at this, pursing her lips. "And please, no one else gets to know."

"Agreed."

"Well…" she began, hesitant. "So, Haggar has this large lab on the Galran Home base, and…I asked Lotor if I could keep some of her things to…to study. For the sake of alchemy."

Lance nodded. "Hm." He remained quiet, staring straight ahead.

"Do you…are you…does that make you hate me?"

"No." Lance shook his head, smiling slightly. "In fact, I'm proud of you, Allura. You are going to keep pursuing your goal, no matter what."

"But…" Allura felt tears build up in her eyes, and she had to turn her face away from Lance so he couldn't see her hurt. "I still CARE about Lotor. I come here to remember him, and to think about him. I HATE him, I do, but…I still MISS him. That's stupid of me, I know, but I can't help wishing for him."

"Allura," Lance sighed, his patience in her drawing the princess's attention. "There's this girl I liked…uh, LIKE, and she's the stars for me. But, I don't think she likes me particularly much, but, I still long for her love. It's greed, and it's kinda wrong, but it's not something I can help. The best I can do is be there for her and hope that she likes me back. I think it's the same principle for you and Lotor. You know he isn't a good man, but you still wish he was."

Allura knew exactly who 'this girl' and 'she' was. It was herself, though Allura decided wisely not to say her mindset aloud. "Thank you, Lance, for understanding." She told him, laying one of her hands upon his. "And I don't know who that girl thinks she is," Allura told him, fighting off the urge to lay her head on his shoulder. "I think you're pretty great."

"You do?!" Lance squeaked, his eyes popping. Then, clearing his throat, he repeated his previous question with a smoother voice. "You do?!"

"Of course." Allura scooted in a little closer, smiling at him warmly.

"But I'm just a boy from Cuba. What do you see in me?"

"Although I still…still CARE for Lotor, I realized that he often flattered me with empty words, telling me that I mattered to him when I truly didn't. Not in that sense. But you…Lance, your actions speak for themselves. You have sacrificed EVERYTHING for me before. You sacrificed your life for me. If that's not true selflessness and genuine care, I don't know what is." Allura shook her head, blinking back the salty water that was starting to drop from her eyes.

"Oh. Wow. I…I died…" Lance shuddered. "It's never really occurred to me that I was actually dead. I mean, I knew it I just didn't take it too-"

Before Allura could interrupt him with soothing words, his lips were pressed to her own. His skin was slightly hot, radiating warmth. His lips were so soft, like baby skin.

Allura, trapped in the moment, was about to return his kiss when Lance suddenly pulled back, parts of his face darker then the rest, indicating that he was blushing.

"Um…sorry." He stammered. "That was out of place. I meant to say thank you, but that just kinda happened, and I'm-"

"It's fine, Lance." Allura smiled, leaning toward him. "I love you, too." She closed the distance between them easily, letting her lips connect with his once more, feeling the spark between them expand into a large flame.

"Allura, you do?" Lance asked after she pulled away. "I thought…I believed that…"

"It's true that I didn't care much for you in the past, but you've become a fine, young man, Lance. And…you're rather appealing, if I'm being honest."

"Does this mean we're…together? Like girlfriend-boyfriend stuff?" Lance asked, a look of pure shock expanding across his face.

"Well, I'm not very familiar with Earth traditions, but on Altea this means we truly are dating." Allura shrugged.

"Okay. This is weird since we can't actually go on a date. Not out in the middle of nowhere." Lance frowned, shaking his head in disappointment. "Pity."

"Well, we could always have a picnic." Allura suggested, tilting her face up as she thought. "We could get the proper supplies from Hunk, and maybe a spare box from Pidge to carry everything, use one of the Red Lion's spare blankets."

The lions, during their journey, had each been assigned a job. The Red Lion was the Sleeping Ward, in case they needed to make a quick getaway, the Yellow Lion the Mess Hall, the Blue Lion was made into the the infirmary because of Allura's abilities, and the Green Lion the lab. The Black Lion didn't have a job, per say, but it acted as the center piece whenever they made camp. It held all the extra supplies, so it was basically a storage unit.

This begged the question…

"We could always do that." Lance interrupted her thoughts, referring to the previous conversation.

"Why are you in the Blue Lion so late at night?" Allura asked suddenly, changing the subject. "And not in the Red Lion."

"Huh?! Oh. Well…" Lance hesitated, closing his eyes and he flopped down onto his back. "I miss Blue. Like, I know it's foolish of me, but she was my lion for a few months and it seems just…wrong to depart from her so quickly."

"I understand. I'm in here because I couldn't sleep." Allura told him, a soft sigh slipping from her mouth. "I wish we could all trust each other, but we can't. Not since the Kuron incident."

"We're torn apart." Lance agreed, staring at his fingers that were balled into fists. "We're broken, ripped at the seams."

"I wish there was something we can do." Allura sighed. "To fix everyone's trust in each other."

"You only heal people physically, right? Not emotionally or mentally?"

"That is correct." Allura sighed, letting herself also flop onto the ground. "I'm not experienced enough in alchemy to do such advanced skills."

"What about resurrecting Shiro? And me?"

"That wasn't as advanced as I'd like you to think." Allura huffed.

"Oh." Lance grunted, a distant look of annoyance fluttering across his face for a brief tick. "Bummer. I was hoping maybe you could help Pidge not be mad at Shiro anymore. Then Shidge might be cannon."

"Shidge?"

"Yeah. It's the ship name Hunk and I gave them."

"It sounds like you're about to say what you Earthlings call 'the S word'.

"Yeah. It kinda does. It should be Piro but I can't change what Hunk wants."

For a few moments the two remained silent, until Lance shoved himself to his feet.

"Well, goodnight, Princess." He whispered, kissing the top of her head for a brief instant. "I love you."

"I love you too, Lance." Allura informed him, joy alighting in her heart. Lance was a man she could trust without any hesitation, somebody who could support her through thick or thin. Somebody special.

Lance smiled softly to himself, walking quietly to the Red Lion. Allura actually liked him! She was his girlfriend! Wait till he told Hunk and Pidge! They wouldn't be able to tease him ever again about it!

Lance let out an excited giggle, covering his mouth promptly as he risked waking up the other men.

The Red Lion had two rather large rooms which had been assigned to the groups. The larger room belonged to the males, and the smaller to the females, seeing as how they were more petite then the males and were fewer in number.

Lance made his way around Coran, who mumbled something able nunvil and peanut butter as he rolled over.

Keith was sleeping with Yorak's head resting against the curve on his body, the dog wrapped into a tight ball.

Hunk wasn't looking very comfortable. His legs and arms were spread out all over the place, drooling slightly.

Lance chuckled as he lowered himself onto his cot, glancing at Shiro's empty spot on the ground. Wait…empty?! Lance sprung to his feet, his heartbeat speeding.

He sent a kick to Keith's head, the newly much older man sitting up, knife and Bayard magically in hand as he panted, looking for the person who dared wake him from his slumber.

"Keith, buddy." Lance jerked his thumb toward Shiro's bed. "Shiro's missing."

Keith was on his feet in a instant, Yorak rising slowly to his paws as he glared at his Master. "He's too weak to be by himself outside!"

"Chill-ax. He might just be jogging around the Lion, or in the bathroom."

"Then why'd you wake me?!"

"I dunno! You're the leader! Besides, he probably is outside!"

"You're such a dolt." Keith hissed, nudging Hunk with his foot. "Go get Allura."

Lance nodded, hurrying off. Maybe Allura had returned to the girls' bedroom. Or maybe she was still in the Blue Lion's lab. Bedroom first.

Lance raised his hand to knock on the door, but it flew open before he could.

Allura stood there, her eyes wide. They stretched open even further when she saw Lance. "Thank goodness! I was just coming to get you! Pidge is missing!"

"So is Shiro! I woke up Keith, and he's waking up Hunk, and he asked me to get you!"

"We need to find them!" Allura gasped, closing the door behind her.

"Wait." Lance paused, thinking. "Maybe they're making up."

"What do you mean?!"

"Pidge has been avoiding him! Maybe they're finally making it right with each other."

"Perhaps…" Allura mused, pressing one finger to her lips as she thought. "But we should check on them just in case."

"Good idea." They broke into a run, arriving with a screeching halt at the boys' room.

Keith was pulling Hunk by the collar of his cloths across the room, somehow making it so that only Hunk's feet were touching the ground. "You're not sleeping."

"But I want to!" Hunk groaned, refusing to obediently walk after his leader. "You don't need all four of us to look!"

"Yeah, well, you're coming, big baby."

Lance and Allura exchanged an amused glance, a silent agreement passing between them.

"Pidge is missing, too." Allura told them. "So we'll begin looking. Catch up when you're done."

"Pidge…? Then I wouldn't bother looking for them." Keith dropped Hunk, crossing his arms as Hunk collapsed completely to the ground. The big oaf let out a squeak of protest, and ended up pouting at Keith.

"If she's gone too, then that probably means that she's with Shiro, and if she's with Shiro, they'll, perhaps, work out their differences and fears."

"But shouldn't we look? Just is case?" Allura protested, her eyes widening worriedly.

"No. I don't want to interrupt them, just in case or no." Keith shook his head. "I'm thankful we care so much for each other, but…they need to learn to love each other again."

At the word 'love' Allura and Lance exchanged a knowing look. They weren't sure if Keith meant it in the literal sense, or in the friendship sense, but, either way, he was right.

"And if they're not back by morning?"

"We look for them." Keith decided. "And if they are, don't ask them about it. It's none of our business."

Allura nodded uncertaintly, heading back to the girls room.

Lance, however, stayed in the current room, clambering back into bed.

Before he could completely fall asleep, Hunk's voice, form where he now lay on his cot once more, broke him from his dozing. "Oh, Lance?"

"Yeah?"

"Congratulations on getting the girl."

Lance sat up right, fighting back the blood that pounded up to his face. "W-what?"

"You know, how you've been hanging out with Allura all night." Keith smirked, sitting up as well.

"W-what?!" Lance's voice rose even louder, turning into a high pitched squeak.

"Dude, Coran's still sleeping." Hunk pointed to the mustached man, and used his free hand to press a finger to his lips. "But, yeah. You and Allura."

"H-how?"

"Number uno; you left half-an hour ago. Number two; Allura left only a few moments later. Three; you both came back around the same time. Four; you acted more squeamish then normal, even laughing." Keith listed off everything on his fingers, pausing every few ticks to think. "And, five; you and Allura looked at each other when I mentioned 'love.'"

"How'd you know when we all left? I thought we were pretty quiet."

"Galran hearing, dude." Hunk rolled his eyes. "He told me earlier he can glitch, he has night vision, and he has really good hearing. He'd like a super hero."

"Okay, Hunk. Now you know what this means?" Lance smirked. "You have to tell me the two cutest girls you know."

"What? Man, no!" Hunk shook his head. "We made that oath five years ago! Do we actually have to still do that?"

"Hey, if I teased you about a girl, and it was spot on, I would do the same."

"Does this mean I have to say who I think are the two cutest girls, too?" Keith smirked, probably thinking the answer would be 'no'.

However, Hunk and Lance were devious, and the truth was exerted from Keith.


	5. Lions

Chapter 5.

Lions

-Skillet

Pidge waited until Allura left to hoist herself to her feet. The petite girl was fed up with everyone telling her what her nature should be; she was taking matters into her own hands.

Pidge trudged slowly to the boys' room, her feet dragging along the ground quietly. Activating her Bayard, Pidge snapped it into her belt, biting the inside of her lip. She knocked gently on the door, and, when there was no answer, slipped inside. She ignored Hunk and Keith, and did her best to ignore Coran, and knelt beside Shiro, placing her hand upon his shoulder. The older man started, blinking rapidly as he turned his head in her direction. Pidge could have sworn a look of joy passed over his face as he spotted her, pulling himself to his feet.

She grabbed his only remaining wrist, pulling him behind her.

Shiro stumbled along, blinking at her affectionately. Maybe…maybe she wasn't mad at him anymore?

They wandered about a quarter mile into the forest before Pidge set him down on a log and sighed, taking a seat as well.

They sat in silence, and Shiro felt himself watching her gingerly. Her face was turned away from his, her soft curls blowing in the breeze. He could tell she really didn't want to talk, so he didn't say anything. Shiro looked away, glancing at the trees, their branches trembling.

When Shiro glanced at Pidge again, it was to find her staring at him intently, and he let out a soft inhale.

He hadn't seen her piercing brown eyes in a millennia, and he had missed her. So much.

"Do you have any of Kuron's memories?" Pidge's voice was choked up, her eyes glazing over.

"No…well…" Shiro shook his head, tilting his head toward her gently. "I don't know. Some things are familiar, but others…"

"Do you know that you tried to kill us?"' Pidge asked, a low growl escaping her throat.

"Y-yeah." Shiro nodded, ducking his head. "I'm sorry for that, Pidge, and I don't want to hurt any of you, and I just…"

"My name." Pidge growled, standing up. Her hand hovered over her Bayard, her eyes alight with fury. "Say my name."

"K-Katie." Shiro began, then shook his head. She was so…paranoid. He understood that she was willing to go through unknown territory to prove her point, but he still worried. "Your name is Katlyn Holt."

"Middle name?" Pidge was now holding the Bayard, green electricity sparking from it.

Shiro eyed it warily, knowing what she planned to do with it if he didn't give her the correct answers. "You hate your middle name…" Shiro reminded her, staring up at her golden eyes.

"That's right. But, just this once…" Pidge leveled her Bayard with his neck, staring him down, "Say. It."

"Blerble." Shiro felt his neck prick with the heat, and he had to resist the instinct to push Pidge away with his legs and attack with all he had.

"Good." Pidge's eyes flashed without pity, without remorse as she slid her Bayard back onto her belt. "You are Shiro. I'm sorry; I just needed to know."

"Pidge…"

"I apologize for waking you up." Pidge quipped coldly. She turned around and made to head back to camp, when she felt Shiro reach out and grab her hand.

Her injuried hand.

She let out a weak cry and snatched back her hand, massaging it gently.

Shiro inched closer to her, and, before Pidge could flinch away, Shiro had already taken her hand in his, looking down at it as he took off her glove.

By the time Pidge realized what he was looking at, it was too late. He was already tracing the scar with his thumb gently.

Pidge drew her hand away, glaring at him as she wondered how he knew. Oh, right. She realized, and, although she didn't say them aloud, slightly winced. The Green Lion must have told the Black Lion, who, in turn, told Shiro.

"Does it still hurt you?" Shiro asked, tilting his hand as he adjusted his position on the log he sat upon.

Pidge glared at him frostily, cautiously choosing her answer. "I don't see how it's any of your business."

"You're right, Pidge." Shiro's voice lowered to the point where the girl could hardly hear him. "I'm sorry."

Pidge felt a pang of guilt for being so brash towards him, and her face twisted slightly with sadness. "Shiro, there's nothing to be sorry for. You did nothing wrong." She assured him, sitting beside him again. She stared at her palms, gazing at the burn. She had received it when Shiro had bore a panic attack, and she had been forced to press his hand, while activated, onto the panel while they were fixing the Omega Shield.

"We both know that's not true. Kuron did that to you, didn't he?!" Shiro hissed, taking her uninjured hand in his.

"I-" Pidge blinked at the injury inflicted upon her, and shrugged. "Indirectly, I guess. Not on purpose."

"Does anybody else know?"

"Nobody knows." Pidge assured him, letting him massage her fingers. "I think. It's hard to tell. There was this one time where I got hurt, and I thought I hid the injury well, but Lance somehow put two and two together and asked about it."

"Don't I see you using this hand? How do you hide the burn? And the pain?"

"I…" Pidge shook her head weakly. "I use this skin-tone makeup that I picked up from the space mall at one point. Also…" she pulled a bottle out of a pocket on her suit, filled with hundreds of tiny dots. "Altean painkillers. They work for weeks at a time. I guess it faded off just now…" Pidge stared at the bottle, holding it gently.

Shiro sighed, wrapping an arm around her. "Tell the others, Pidge. They worry; I know they do. I also know that you're anti-social, that they can't find the words to tell you how much they love you. I love you, Katie."

"Sh-Shiro." Pidge stammered, hot tears pounding from her eyes. "I…I…"

Shiro pulled her closer, so that her face was buried in his chest. She cried into it, wrapping her arms around him in return as she sobbed, her body rattling.

"I…I…" she whispered, clinging to him. "I love you, too… That's why pushing you away killed me." She sobbed.

"I know…" Shiro murmured, rocking her slowly. "I understand your reasoning, but it still hurt me every time you pulled away…"

"I'm sorry. I just want a second chance…" Pidge whispered. "Please…let me have one."

"Of course I will." Shiro smiled. "For you, anything."

Pidge laughed quietly, pulling away from him slowly. "Thank you." She grinned. "Now," she revealed a device, looking at him fondly. "Tell me what you want your new arm to look like."

* * *

 **I was originally gonna to have this book be way longer, with them arriving at Earth and all, and taking way longer for Shiro and Pidge to realize they love each other, but with Season 7 right around the corner, this ending felt more natural.**

 **Anyway, thanks to everyone who read and reviewed this book, and special thanks my friend for editing**!


End file.
